New Mechanic for 2006 (pre snap keys)

[The Roamin' Umpire]

Originally Posted by irefky

In KY, we have 5 man in high school all the way to the championship game. I know there's a big cost to adding another two officials, but the pay should decrease per official if this is ever done. I would agree to that, but the other 95% would not. These are the 95% who never attends a camp, never picks up a rules book and pants are cream color. Sorry if I hit any of you but I think the 5% of officials are the ones here on the boards day in and day out.

I agree that there are officials out there that fit your description. But at least in my association, they don't make up anywhere near 95%. Nearly half attend at least some of our off-season rules discussions, and roughly 20-30% are there for every one. And even some of the ones that don't are solid officials that take their role seriously - they just can't make it to these meetings. Certainly there is room for improvement for all of us, but cynicism is one of the biggest barriers to progress that officials, collectively and individually, have. People tend to live up, or down, to one's expectations. And, like it or not, football association is a team effort. We should try to stay upbeat about our comrades and our profession.